Jonny Lang: Summerfest Gig Review
It was a hot and humid day as Jonny Lang took the stage at Summerfest in Milwaukee on Saturday June 30th. Lang’s performance kicked off at 4 PM. It’s unusual to see a headlining act like Lang perform in the afternoon, usually headliners hit the stage at 10 PM, so the early bird audience received a special treat. It seemed like everyone at the festival made their way to the Harley stage to catch the performance.
Lang kicked off the set with “Don’t Stop” from 2006’s Turn Around and Jonny wasn’t messing the round. Midway through the song, Lang belted out a scream that lasted about 10 seconds before jetting off to a another universe with a blistering guitar solo that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Jonny followed that up with “Signs,” the title track from his latest album and then thanked the crowd for coming out before going into “A Quitter Never Wins,” which featured another intense guitar solo with Jonny again taking everyone to a different planet, a sure crowd pleaser.
By this point, Jonny was drenched in sweat, much like the crowd in the humid, near 100 degree heat. Lang went back to the “Signs” album with a performance of “Snakes” and then introduced the band during “Red Light.” Lang jokingly dedicated the song to the fans in the audience with multiple children as a banner for Trojan condoms flew in the sky.
The 75 minute set also included “Everything Is Going To Be Alright” and “Livin’ For The City” before closing with a raucous rendition of “Still Rainin.” The band then left the stage as the crowd stood in ovation before Jonny returned for an encore performance of “Lie To Me,” which began with only Jonny playing acoustic guitar before the entire band joined in and switched to electric, a great way to conclude an outstanding set.
Review by Pete Francis
